The Place Restaurant

A legendary summer jaunt, residents and tourists alike flock to this roadside summer shack to put their rump on a stump and enjoy wood-fired seafood. The restaurant has been serving patrons since the 1940's under the name "Whitey's", and in 1971, Vaughn Knowles, who used to work there in the summers as a teenager, purchased the property along with his wife, Judy. His brother, Gary, who also had a history at Whitey's, soon joined the venture and The Place was born. It was named after an old saying that Gary remembered Whitey frequenting, “There’s no place, quite like this place, anywhere near this place, so this must be The Place.”

They expanded the menu from grilled clams, to include lobster, corn, fish, steak and more. All the food is cooked outside on one large wood-fired grill and patrons dine on wooden tables surrounded by tree stump seats. Veterans know that it is BYOB, including any side dishes, tablecloths and candles you would like to add to the mood. String lights hang overhead and should inclement weather arise, a large red and white striped tent is raised, keeping you dry and giving the sense that you're a part of a delightfully quirky food circus.

You won't find Enea Bacci on social media but you might see him greeting customers or lugging lobsters around Lobster Landing, the shack on the Clinton shoreline that he has owned for more than 20 years.